The invention herein relates to a panic exit device representing an improvement in a door locking structure. Such devices generally consist of an exposed or concealed vertical rod operating top and bottom latch bolts with a hand operated cross bar operating both the vertical rod and door lock whereby exit through the door is readily made with the door locking automatically against entrance therethrough.
The vertical operating rod is in general use. However, in the case of double doors, unless a mullion is used, there is generally an air space between the adjacent door edges or between a door edge and its respective jamb.
The improvement in the invention herein consists primarily in providing an extendable sealing member and means to dead lock said sealing member against retractable movement with respect to a closed door whereby with cooperating sealing members there results both a positive air seal and a barrier preventing an instrument from being disposed between adjacent door edges or between a door and the adjacent jamb to reach the door opening means at the inner side of a door.
It is an object of this invention therefore to provide a panic exit device particularly adapted to form a positive air seal at the leading edge of a door.
It is another object of this invention to provide a panic exit device having an extendable sealing member or astragal forming both a positive air seal and a barrier preventing the insertion of an instrument at the leading edge of a door as between the adjacent edges of a double door or between a door and a jamb which could engage and operate the door opening mechanism at the inner side of a door.
More generally it is an object of this invention to provide a panic exit device consisting of a housing recessed into the leading edge of a door and having vertical operating rod therein, said rod operating upper and lower latch bolts, means operating said rod, an astragal carried in a channel in the leading edge of said housing, links connecting said rod and said astragal for movement of said astragal into and outwardly of said channel, a plurality of cam headed lugs carried by said rod, a plurality of studs corresponding to said lugs carried by said astragal for engagement by said lugs to dead lock said astragal in an extended closed door position.